


Dragons dreaming of stags

by ProdigySorcerer



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-02-27 22:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2709269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProdigySorcerer/pseuds/ProdigySorcerer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a age when the gifts of the Targaryen lineage have diminished, Rhaella Baratheon nee Targaryen has strange vivid dreams before the birth of each of her grandsons. But surely the birth of a future Storm Lord would not be important enough to warrant the resurfacing of the prophetic dragon dreams and of his younger brothers even less so.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She had elected to retire early that evening, her son Steffon had completely abandoned his duties as Lord Paramount of the Stormlands in order to nervously pace back and forth in the chambers of his pregnant and nearly due to term wife Cassandra despite Cassandra’s and Maester’s Cressen’s insistence that the pregnancy was proceeding marvellously and a healthy babe was surely on the way, that was why she Rhaelle Baratheon nee Targaryen decided they didn’t need a silly old woman in there as well and opted to leave for her own chambers.

When she reached them and prepared to sleep she couldn’t help but think about her chamber’s history, the legends said that these were the chambers of Argella the Last Storm Queen when she had been a maiden, before she was married, before the invasion, before her own ancestor Aegon the Conqueror before Orys Baratheon he of no sigil and no words.

In her own youth when she was maiden herself, the story of Orys Baratheon and Argella was just another dull history the maesters liked to prattle on about, the Baratheons were nothing to her eyes, a noble house yes but even with their relationship to the royal line, she was a dragon dragons did consult stags on how to rule.

But her own youth ended when her father weary of his elder children braking their engagements and turning the high lords against the crown in the process put his foot down and sent her of to Storm’s End to be married, it seemed that in the end the dragons still needed the stags on their side and she was the price for their loyalty.

Her husband turned out to be a decent man, and she herself didn’t have the great passions which made her siblings destabilise the Realm itself yet in the most secret chambers of her mind there always dwelled a desire for knight who could make her knees weak only from the sight of him, who would sweep her up and carry her from tourney to tourney giving her the crown of love and beauty in each and every one so that all the other maidens would see and wither with jealousy.

Her more practical grievance, was that her son Steffon a wonderful boy as he was would have inherited at least some of her Targaryen traits but the Stormland blood seemed to be stronger, a shame really she thought as she put her head on the pillow, she didn’t know of any Baratheon to have dragon dreams or other sorcerous abilities as her line was rumoured to have.

She was on a hill, she could almost recognise it and she was almost sure that the castle in the distance was Storm’s End but everything was wrong, the castle itself seemed larger than it should have been, she was in a storm surrounded by a army.

The army seemed to have hastately fortified their position on the hill and were now preparing for a battle in the storm, no banners flew from her position yet as she looked into the valley bellow she could see a host flying the Baratheon black and gold.

Rhaelle was no lady of war but even she knew that the Baratheon army was manny times larger and would surely overwhelm her position she tried to summon the courage to dessert from among the men at arms when a final shock came over her, she was young again young and dressed for battle in a armour tailored for her figure alone.

A tall figure approached her, he was handsome his features were classically Targaryen, silver hair cropped short in a military style clean shaven deep indigo eyes scanning over her taking in her apparent fear.

“Don’t worry, they think this storm is a omen for their victory but the only thing it will do is make the hill impossible to climb for their horse, well hold this position and they’ll break themselves upon us like waves on the stony shore.” the figure said his voice clear and steady ready to command and very masculine.

“They’ve got too much infantry.” she heard herself say with her old voice the one Ormund her husband had called so melodious.

“We have blood and fire on our side.” he said pointing to the sky and raising her eyes she did indeed see a dragon with a female rider guarding them from above.

Rhaella didn’t say anything else but she realised where she was and who she was talking to, this was the battle of the Last Storm the man before her was Orys Baratheon now was the end of the old line of the Storm Kings and the first step towards the birth of the Storm Lords.

She then observed the battle go as the maesters had described it, when the old king died she finally rushed to Ory’s side shouting

“Orys we won !!!” only for him to look at her and the dream to shift before her very eyes.

She was now in the Red Keep but the stags had replaced all the dragons on the walls, the army had transformed into a group of lords all dressed in their fineries, Orys himself now had clearly Baratheon features and a great war hammer in place of his blade, a blonde woman was now leaning suggestively on his arm.

“What Orys are you talking about old woman ?” he roared with delight as to respond to her “Don’t you know that I am your king, Robert First of His Name ?”

Later in the morning when her new grandson was presented to her and he was indeed healthy and strong, Steffon and Cassandra couldn’t help but be concerned on why she insisted to hold him so long, the truth was simply that she felt that her old mind had forgotten something very important about the babe and she was trying to remember.

“I’m sure he will be a great warrior.” she said as she returned him to his parents Rhaella couldn’t be sure why she said this but it just felt as if it was a undeniable truth.


	2. Chapter 2

Cassana’s second pregnancy had been far easier, at least for her son Steffon to handle he now had Robert to occupy all his time and attention and thus keep his mind off from his wife’s situation.

Unfortunately for Cassana, Cressen and herself the pregnancy was not proceeding how they were accustomed too, which gave them all motive to worry, it was not so much as there were problems per say Cressen then could have at least try to diagnose them and produce a draught.

No, the problem was that there were no signs of healthy activity from the babe Cassana could feel her child in her belly but he or she would not kick or give any sign of being ready to come out despite the wisdom of the maesters and that passed down between the women of the realm agreed the time was almost here.

Ultimately Rhaella decided to retire from her daughter in law’s chambers, the hour was late and if they needed help there were midwives at hand an old sleepy woman was not of any help and she might indeed get in the way, so she kissed Cassana’s forehead and bade her to relax because she had had dragon dreams telling her the child will arrive safely and swiftly.

Cassana smiled as best as she could and bade her a good night, the former Lady of Storm End then exited passing her son and grandson along the corridors Robert seemed to be busy exerting himself by putting a imaginary sword through the chest of a great dragon, as portrayed by her son Steffon.

The rest of the night was uneventful interrupted only be her own curses at her now advanced age which seemed to make everything harder and harder to do including preparing to go to sleep.

Before falling asleep her mind kept going back to that little fib she told Cassana about having dragon dreams of her having a healthy child as to comfort her, the girl, she reserved the right to call any woman which was sharing her son’s bed ‘a girl’, was from a smaller house and she had confessed to never imagining that her mother in law would be a dragon so Rhaella played up her birth in the royal house around her a harmless mummer’s spectacle, a little inside jest between the former and current ladies of Storm’s End.

~~~

She was still in a castle, but this was not Storm’s End and this was not her room she knew this because the stone which made up the walls was all wrong it was an unnatural shade of black and it was fused together in a way no earthly stone mason, not even Bran the Builder should have been able to achieve, and the sound of the sea outside was just wrong it was as if she was much higher than Storm End’s tower.

Then she more carefully looked at the room and understood where she was, this was Dragonstone the citadel of her brother when he had been the heir apparent and not yet the king, and this was the room of the painted table, this was made obvious by the legendary table itself something no one in Westeross would dare replicate.

It was standing before her, looking better maintained that how she’d remembered it although looking, and at the head of the table stood tall lord, his features obviously Valyrian acting as if he was not even noticing her.

In fact looking at the clothes she was wearing she might as well be a servant here at Dragonstone.

“Good work, you’ve done very good” the lord started praising her “and it’s completed just at the right time, that fool Argillac has given us all the just cause we need to move on to the mainland.”

“Given us cause ?” she could only ask.

“He’s rejected Orrys’s offer and taken the hands of our messenger my vassals will not allow this insult to go unpunished, they will ride with me against the Stormlands ... and as for Harren no one not even his kin will shed any tears when we bring him low.” Aegon the first whom she now recognised thundered as he rose from his seat. 

“Harren has his Iron Islands and there are others the Starks are beloved in their kingdom ... ” Rhaella felt she needed to say.

“Did you never ask why I didn’t ask you to paint any boundaries on the map, it’s because I have a vision for a united Westeross one Realm not Seven Kingdoms and the people of these realm need a protector ” Aegon continued but Rhaella could feel her head hurting and her vision fogging up.

Fighting it with all her willpower her vision finally coalesced again but gone was the Valyrian king in chain mail in his place a more slender man, appearing more weathered but more steadfast bright blue eyes which hinted at a cold unyielding will.

“And I’ll be damned if I let that wolf pup of a Stark take half my kingdom from me, protecting this Realm is my duty and everyone who opposes me will get naught but fire and iron in their bellies!” he thundered.

A woman was at his side, she didn’t know why but Rhaella’s skin crawled when she looked at the scarlet clad woman whom she assumed to be the queen of this dream Dragonstone.

“Stannis, conserve your strength the true enemy has still to show himself.” she urged to the man whom Rhaella just now noticed was wearing the Baratheon stag but over a fiery heart.

~~~

Morning came and with it nothing but good news, Lady Cassana had given birth to another healthy baby boy ensuring the next generation of Baratheon rulers.

As the new babe was presented to his grandmother by the prideful parents, maester Cressen pipped that the boy was unnaturally quiet by newborn standard although he seemed to be in good health.

“All the best kings are quiet, it gives their commands more weight.” she replied while smiling and kissing her new grandson’s forehead.


	3. Chapter 3

Lady Cassana’s third pregnancy was sure to come to fruition soon Rhaella thought as she and the two wet nurses were watching the young future lord of Storm’s End fight whit his younger brother and future castellan over a wooden toy in the vague shape of a sword.

“But it’s my day, mother said I get to be the Orrys Baratheon every second day of the week, tell him grandmother !” Stannis argued with all the indignant rage his little 8 years old voice could achieve.

“But being Aegon is boooring, sure you’re king but you’re supposed to fight with a dragon and not a sword. Do you see any dragons around little brother ?” Robert demanded stomping his foot.

“Raaaawwwrrr!!!” Rhaella let out as mighty a roar as her old lungs allowed her to while shaping her old weathered hands into claws, frightening claws she was sure but it was more due to their wrinkly old skin and liver spots rather than their deadly talons.

“Grandma you’re uh well grandma not a dragon !!!” this time Robert pointed out in a indignant tone.

“Grandma was a Targary ... Targer ... a Targ a dragon before she married grandfather.” Stannis corrected his brother obviously pleased at himself for doing so.

“Why would a dragon marry a stag? Stags have fur while dragons have scales ...” Robert asked the deep questions which often entertained the minds of scholars who were 10 years old at the time.

The Lady of Storm’s End for a second wanted nothing more than to confess everithing to her grandsons, every dark thought she’d had about her marriage and her transition from princess of the realm to the wife of the Lord Paramount of the Storm Lands but she knew they could not understand the politics of so many decades ago. 

“When you are of age you should ask your maester about the Laughing Storm ” both young Baratheons looked at her queerly “it was just the title of your great grand-father ... it’s an interesting story but best told to more ... ripe minds. Come along boys I’m afraid it’s time for my afternoon nap which means it’s also time for yours.” she finished changing the subject.

The two lordlings took the bait and both expressed their opposition in their own ways Robert loud and with gusto Stannis with silence and a accusing stare.

To keep their little minds busy as she shepherded them to their bedrooms Rhaella went back to Robert’s question.

“Well dragons marrying stags is possible, if they are friends and arrange so for their young, did you know my little princes ... ” she wanted to correct her slip up but then she thought better damn the royal protocols for her these boys were just as much princes as Aerys’s Rhaegar would ever be “that your father the young stag ...”

“Father’s not young he’s father.” Robert corrected her matter of factly but Rhaella continued.

“... is friends with the young dragon king Aerys and the young lion Tywin who has young cubs of his own including a small lioness.” she said eyeing Robert.

“So ?” Robert inquired when he noticed he was being sized up by the old dragoness

“Oh nothing my dear.” she said and indeed it was nothing to it there was still some more time before Steffon would need to give any thought to the matter her mind only went to the Lannisters because her son and Lord Tywin had gotten along so well in their youth and marriages between the families of the Lords Paramount seemed to be coming back into the game.

Stannis despite being two years younger did seem to catch on to what she was hinting and seemed to be trying not to smirk.

Rhaella could only think of the innocence of babes, their most pressing concerned about the other sex being how to avoid the dreaded cooties, as she released her two grandsons into the care of their nurses.

Three Bartheons were supposed to take an afternoon nap, but she knew that she was the only one who would sleep Robert would somehow manage to end up practising his swordsmanship while Stannis would talk Maester Cressen into helping him with his reading while her tiered old bones would greatly appreciate the little pause ...

~~~

She was again having one of her eerily vivid dreams, this time she was in the Red Keep although it looked markedly different than how it should have been, the most obvious difference was that there were no dragon skulls adorning the walls.

She had learned from different noble guests which stopped by Storm’s End that her nephew Aerys was somewhat eccentric but she could not believe he would go so far as to take down the dragon skulls, they were a much needed reminder for Westeross of Targaryen power.

And looking at the rooms more closely they did seem much less decorated and where the walls had displayed tapestries or paintings showing the great battles fought in the realm now hanged icons of the Seven.

The Iron Throne still dominated the room at least, forged from the swords of those who sought to oppose Aegon the Conqueror it was the ultimate icon of kingly might, it was for Rhaella the seat from which her father had sent her as a sacrifice to Storm’s End to sooth the pride of a house which had already been defeated.

And now upon it sat what looked like a septon, he didn’t wear the brown robes of a Begging Brother which must have meant he was one of the Poor Fellows yet he did not seem to have a weapon and the though of a mere peasant sitting on the Iron Throne was too much even for a dream.

Yet as she looked upon him fully the Targaryen features were evident in his appearance, the gold-silver hair the purple eyes she was looking upon one of her kin, looking at what she herself wore it was the same humble robes of a septa, yet she couldn’t remember a time when many of the royal family had flocked to the Seven.

There had been the odd case of a familly member given to the faith as to ensure a more orderly succession but the general attitude between the dragons and the church was one of reluctant cooperation except for the reign of Baelor I also named “The Blessed”

“Uncle, there shall be no more war during my reign is that clear ?” he said with a force she did not expect from a man of the Faith.

“I agree your Grace that, Daeron has left us in quite the situation ... we must act, lest we invite instability but neither our coffers nor our levies can afford us another war.” a man responded he was much older than the one on the throne with the same Targaryen colouring but he spoke in measured tones while his eyes betrayed a certain intelligence. 

“And nor does our holy book, we can offer Dorne nothing but peace.”

“We’re in far too deep for a simple cessation of the conflict this invasion won’t be forgotten at least this generation we need something to placate the Martell’s and forgive my bluntness your grace but it must be something cheap we hardly have the coin for anything else.”

“I’ve been inspired dear uncle during those fasts which you mock so, and have already sent for our solution.”

As if on que the doors to the hall opened and in came three men, or rather two men and a boy, one was clad clad in the white armour and cloak of the Kingsguard and carried himself with the air of a knight both dignified and battle hardened the other wore the most expensive silks and although fair looked like he most belonged in a banquet hall romancing maidens who should know better.

“I guess you wouldn’t be so cavalier about loosing the right to pick your son’s fiancé if you had any sons Aemon.” the courtier sneered.

“Better lose him to the arms of a Dornish maiden than to loose him to their poisoned spears Aegon.” the knight responded putting emphasis on Aegon a conqueror’s name as to possibly ridicule the courtier.

The youth seemed to be stoicaly trying to ignore the two supposed adults he was dressed as a squire and Rhaella guessed he would rather be shovelling mannure in a stable somewhere rather than be in this situation.

“Hmm marriage, very shrewd of your Grace ” the old lord began having caught Baelor’s intentions from the partly heard conversation “but my grandson handsome and smart as he may be is but from a cadet branch, the Prince of Dorne will not see it as a worthy match.”

“Uncle, all men must die even those who wear the crown and I ... my desires of the flesh must be fought ... it will be your line which shall rule, the Prince will know this and he will accept the match.”

Baelor then turned his sight on the young boy.

“But my own marriage was forced on me, I will not do this to you Daeron, the Kingdom needs you but this will be your choice, not your fathers ” Baelor said while his eyes filled with contempt for a second “ we must end this war and we shall not do this like cowards with sword we will do so with wisdom and peace ...”

“Will you Daeron marry the Dornish princess and end this war ?” Baelor ended his voice filling the whole hall, sound like both a preacher and captain urging his men forward.

“I will ... “

Rhaella’s vision immediately started to blur the darkness of the hall somehow was replaced by natural light and the air she could smell the perfume of a thousand different roses.

“accept the hand of your daughter Lord Martell and our combined armies will ensure enough strength that no true war will be fought, we will feast at King’s Landing as King and Queen of all Westeross.” said a handsome young man with a familiar voice and who looked so much like an older version of her grandson Robert that she nearly cried.

Alongside him was a beautiful maiden newly flowered and on his other side a knight with long beautiful hair.

The man he was swearing to was a smiling fat lord dressed in green and besides him a wizened old woman ... what that Olenna, how could she look so old how much time had passed ? 

~~~

When Rhaella awoke she found that she had a brand new gradson, a bit of surprise as the oh so wise Maester Cressen had predicted a girl, but now holding him in her arms just a little bit as long as she could muster the strength Rhaella Targaryen said

“Oh what a handsome boy, all the ladies of the realm will flock to you.” unbeknownst to her the parents were relieved to hear this as for the other two grandsons she had said the strangest things upon meeting them.

**Author's Note:**

> Had a bit of a challenge of finding a counterpart for Renly, I finnaly settled on Daeron II who'se marriage brought Dorne into the Kingdom, imho this was simmilar to Renly who used soft power(diplomacy and charm) to back his claim to the throne.
> 
> Robert and Stannis's ages are wrong in this, by the time Renly was born they would have been too mature for the games described in the chapter but I liked the scenes so I guess this is an AU in which Renly was born earlier.


End file.
